Find out how “holistic admissions” will impact students with lower-than-average stats. https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/will-holistic-admission-process-help-student-with-subpar-gpa-and-test-scores/
The magician with a 3.2 thinking they were gonna get into NYU made me LOL a little. I mean, that WOULD be magic!
For the more selective colleges, any sub-par applicant attribute (GPA, rank, test scores, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, etc.) will be the most important attribute in causing rejection.
Holistic doesn’t mean that they ignore GPA and test scores. They will use them as soft “gates” to get past into the holistic review pool.
Back when my kids were looking at colleges, a few of colleges styled themselves as looking for “well-lopsided” applicants. The applicants didn’t have to be Superwoman or Odysseus (said to be “skilled in all ways of contending”). Distinguished or original achievements, signs of future distinction or potential in some specific areas (athletics, practical matters, art, music, debate, community organization), and perhaps a commitment to an intellectual life, were great qualifications.
I think there are still many colleges that admit students who have strong inner-motivation, who seek satisfaction from exploring and learning new things, and who have very good core (even if not yet advanced) skills but not near-perfect “numbers.”
Looking back, I know that my #1 didn’t spend any time prepping for the standardized tests, but he had taken them a few times for the Northwestern program, so he did very well when the tests counted. My #2 was going to become an artist. That’s where she focused her college prep outside of school. Her portfolio mattered more than her numbers. Later on, when the numbers counted more heavily (she applied for an MBA on top of her BFA) she took a math course, studied for the GMAT, and got into a top 10 B-school. Both of my kids are well lopsided, though in different ways.